Careful
by Running Up Fawn
Summary: Sixteen year old Darien Blessing disappeared on a warm Sunday night, from a town where she never needed to be careful.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Careful

Author: Lauren / Running Up Fawn

Rating: PG, for now

Disclaimer: Jack, Samantha, Vivian, Danny and Martin belong to CBS, Steinberg and Bruckheimer; the characters are not mine.

Author's Note: This is a work in progress. I apologize in advance for inaccuracies regarding FBI procedure, etc., because I'm sure there will be many. Also, the title really has nothing to do with the story. I couldn't think of one, so I borrowed a song title from Guster. I'm sure this comes as a surprise to absolutely no one. Finally, so much thanks to everyone at Maple Street..you all are so amazing.

Jack Malone strode purposefully to the large white board in the front of the room and clipped a glossy photograph to the top. He turned to his team of agents, who were sitting around a table and looking expectantly up at him.

"Darien Blessing." He nodded toward the picture of a pretty, smiling teenaged girl, with short, shiny brown hair and large dark eyes. "Sixteen years old, junior in high school. Didn't come home from her basketball open gym last night, which went from six to eight. Mom, Jayne Blessing, called it in." 

Danny Taylor glanced briefly at his watch, which read 7:15. 

"Eleven hours missing," he commented.

"Genius, Danny," Martin Fitzgerald smirked briefly at the other agent.

"We have to get right on this." Jack's voice commanded attention, and the gentle banter stopped.

"As of now, the only lead we may have is the absent father, and even that is probably a huge stretch. He lives in Chicago and hasn't seen Darien or Jayne since he left them when Darien was eight. Sends child support every month, but that's their only contact. If we need to, we'll pay him a visit, but something is telling me the father has nothing to do with her disappearance. Let's start with the people who saw her last. Martin and Danny, head to Brennamen High, her high school. Round up all the girls who were at the open gym last night, see if they noticed anything strange about Darien's behavior or anything that happened after the open gym was over. " Jack handed a piece of paper with the school's address to Danny. 

"Viv, I'd like you to talk to the coach. I called the school, found his place of business. He's an environmental safety engineer, works at Trenton Corporation." He handed Vivian a slip of paper with the man's name, business address and phone number. She glanced at it and nodded.

"He's not a suspect right now, but we can't rule anything out. Question carefully, okay?" Jack smiled briefly at his trusted agent and friend; he knew he didn't need to give her instruction, and only did it out of habit.

She smiled back. "Got it."

Jack turned to his remaining agent.

"Sam, you and I will talk to the mother, search the house." The blonde woman nodded, and Jack could see her already processing what little they knew.

"Let's go."

The five agents gathered their files and, with a glance at the smiling face of Darien Blessing, headed out.

Jack pulled up next to the curb in front of the Blessing's home and, after turning the car off, he and Samantha briefly took in their surroundings. 

"Typical suburbia," Samantha commented, noting the green lawns and two car garages, many of which were open. 

"One of those towns where nothing bad is supposed to happen," Jack agreed, as the pair left the car and began walking up the driveway to the Blessing's door. It was a sunny, warm morning in late September, and Samantha took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

After a few seconds it was opened by a small, dark haired woman whose eyes were red and watery from crying. The skin around them was dark, and Samantha assumed the woman hadn't slept at all.

"Jayne Blessing?" Jack began, his voice low and gentle. "I'm Agent Jack Malone, and this is Agent Samantha Spade. We're here about your daughter.." He trailed off as understanding crept into the distraught woman's dark eyes.

"Of course, I'm sorry," she opened the screen door and allowed them inside. "I can't even think straight."

Jayne Blessing lead the agents into her living room, where a woman with dark blonde hair sat next to a slender girl with long, curly red hair. Both looked up as they entered the room, and their faces were identical to Jayne's: tear-streaked and exhausted. The tall woman with blonde hair stood up and shook hands with the agents, introducing herself. "I'm Mara Jennings. Darien and Jayne are family to me.." Her voice broke, as tears again formed in her deep blue eyes. She shakily smiled an apology before taking her place beside the red haired girl, who began to speak softly.

"I'm Grace McNamara. Darien is my best friend..it's my fault she's missing." Grace furiously rubbed away tears with clenched fists, and Mara gently rubbed the girl's back.

"It's not your fault," Jayne spoke automatically, decisively, to Grace, then to the agents. "It's not her fault. Please, sit down." She gestured to the chairs that sat opposite the coach, and Jack and Samantha did. They glanced at each other, and, with no words spoken, communicated how they would handle the questioning. 'Divide and conquer' flitted briefly through Samantha's head as she gently began speaking to the distraught Grace, while Jack turned to Jayne Blessing.

"Grace? I'm Samantha." She waited for the girl to look at her, understanding brown eyes meeting bloodshot green ones. Samantha pulled out her notebook and smiled, almost apologetically. She began with basic questions, allowing Grace time to relax.

"Were you at the open gym last night?"

"Yes."

"Where was the open gym?"

"At our high school. Brennamen."

"Do you have them often?"

"Almost every Sunday. We're not allowed to practice until the season starts, but Coach Duncan likes getting us some playing time before that."

Samantha nodded, noticing that as Grace talked, her voice grew less shaky and her green eyes didn't look so lost. Sam figured this was because the girl felt like she was helping, bringing them closer to finding her friend. Which Samantha hoped was true.

"Tell me about last night, Grace. Everything you remember, even if you think it's not important." Samantha gave Grace a reassuring smile, and Mara slipped an arm around the girl's shoulders, offering silent support. Grace took a deep breath and looked directly at Samantha.

"The open gym started at six. Coach Duncan likes us to be everywhere ten minutes early, so Chic-" Grace shook her head. "Sorry." A shaky smile. "Chicago is my nickname for her, since that's where she moved from. Darien and I left around 5:45. I live next door," Grace clarified quickly, and Samantha nodded for her to continue.

"I drove. I don't usually. Most of the time we walk, since the school is close and it's still so nice out. We got there around 5:50, and warmed up. There weren't many of us. Eleven, I think. Alot of the girls are still playing fall sports and can't come. Anyway, we did what we do every open gym..shot for teams and scrimmaged. There was nothing different about last night." Grace's voice sounded strained, but honest.

"How did Darien do?"

"You mean, how well did she play? Oh, she was great. She always is." Tears formed again in Grace's big green eyes, she took a deep breath and continued speaking. "When it was over, I was supposed to meet my family at my cousin's house, for his birthday party. They live about twenty minutes from school." Grace's voice shook, and she looked pleadingly at Samantha. "I told her I would take her home, that it wasn't a problem at all. I wanted to! But she wouldn't let me..she said she would be fine walking. She didn't want to inconvenience any of the others, and the walk is so short...it was still light out..I thought she would be okay! I should have insisted..." Tears again streaked her cheeks and Grace dropped her head into her hands, red hair spilling everywhere.

Sympathetically, Samantha touched the girl's knee. "It's not your fault, Grace. Not at all. And you have no idea how much of a help you are."

Grace nodded, almost to herself, and finally looked up.

"Besides you girls and your coach, was anyone else at the gym last night?" Samantha asked.

Grace frowned in thought. 

"I don't think so..there was nothing else going on. Oh, the cleaning staff may have been there." Grace shrugged. "There's usually a few of them there to close up the gym after we're finished."

"Do you know who was there last night?"

Grace shook her head apologetically. "No, sorry. I don't see much of them..I don't even know any of their names."

Samantha nodded, making a note before continuing. "Is Darien dating anyone? Any ex-boyfriends you know of?"

Grace shook her head without hesitation. "Not here, and she didn't mention anyone from Chicago." She shrugged again. "She didn't really know anyone yet, except me, and everyone from basketball."

"Okay. Did Darien ever mention her father?"

Mara flicked a gaze Samantha's way, but Grace answered before Samantha could speculate. "No, not really. She told me that her parents were divorced, but that's about it."

"One more thing. What was Darien wearing last night?"

Grace's face contorted in concentration. "Um..a yellow T-shirt and navy blue shorts, I think. The shirt had the name of some camp on it, and the shorts were plain." She nodded to herself in confirmation.

Samantha nodded, and closed her notebook. "Thank you, Grace." She patted the girl's hand. "You should get some rest. We're going to find her," Samantha assured her, hoping like hell she could deliver on that promise.

While Samantha was talking with Grace McNamara, Jack had been questioning Jayne Blessing.

"When we spoke on the phone, you said that you and Darien had just moved here in July, from Chicago. How was she adjusting?"

"At first, Darien wouldn't even speak to me, she was so angry about leaving Chicago." Jayne smiled briefly."After we got here, though, she adjusted almost immediately. She met Grace, " Jayne nodded to the redhead on the couch, "and they became almost inseparable. She spent most of the summer with Grace, and occasionally other kids from school, playing basketball, swimming, things like that. I was a little worried about how she would adjust to the new school, but everything has been wonderful. Just a few days ago she was telling me how glad she was that we moved here."

"And you hadn't noticed anything different about her behavior over the past few weeks?" Jack asked.

Jayne shook her head. "Nothing. I would have noticed." She looked right at Jack, her eyes almost pleading with him to believe her. "Ever since her father left, Darien and I have been extremely close. I know her, Agent Malone. I would have noticed," she repeated, this time to reassure herself.

"You mentioned Darien's father..David?" Jack glanced down at his file and then back at Jayne for confirmation. She nodded. 

"David left Darien and myself when Darien was eight." Jack searched Jayne's eyes for any indication of anger or resentment, but there was none. "Things..weren't great, with our marriage. He was always working,  we were constantly fighting, and finally David couldn't handle it anymore. He sends child support checks every month, but other than that has had no contact with me or Darien. I know he remarried, and lives in Chicago; that's it." Jayne shook her head. "David wasn't a great father or husband, but I can't believe he would take Darien. He never gave any indication that he wanted to see her, especially since he hasn't even talked to her for eight years." 

Jack nodded. He couldn't completely rule out the husband as a suspect, but he also wasn't sure a trip to Chicago would prove fruitful.

"Do you or Darien have any enemies, Mrs. Blessing? In Chicago or New York?" Jack always hated asking this question, it sounded so cold, but it was necessary. To her credit, Jayne Blessing took it in stride.

"No. We left on good terms with everyone in Chicago, and we honestly haven't met all that many people here in New York. I spend most of my time working at the pharmacy with Mara," she nodded at the tall blonde woman," or here with Darien. I've known Mara since I was a little girl. I used to live here..that's why I wanted to move back."

"Okay. Tell me about last night."

Jayne took a deep breath; she had been composed so far, and Jack hoped she would be able to get through this part.

"I left around twelve in the afternoon to go to work. Darien was reading when I left, and said she didn't have any plans except open gym later that night. Work was normal. I called Darien around five to make sure she had eaten something, and was still planning on going to basketball. She sounded okay, completely normal. She told me she was going to walk home, and I figured that was fine, because the school is so close and it's still pretty light out at eight. The pharmacy closes at seven on Sundays, but Mara and I were planning on staying later so we could fill prescriptions and make sure everything was ready for Monday..well, today. I left around eight-thirty, and Darien wasn't here when I got home. I figured the open gym had gone a little late, so I didn't start to worry until nine, when she still wasn't home." Tears gathered in Jayne's dark eyes, and spilled over, traveling down her already-streaked cheeks. Jack waited patiently while she pulled herself together and continued.

"I called one of the other girls on Darien's team, Sleater Christie. She told me the open gym had ended at eight, and that she had seen Darien walk out of the gym with Grace. I thought maybe she had gone with Grace to her cousin's party, although I guess I didn't really think that because Darien wouldn't go somewhere without telling me first." Jayne wiped a tear away with the back of her hand, and to Jack she suddenly looked very young, like a lost little girl. Which was, he reflected, kind of ironic, since they were here to find her own lost girl. Jayne continued, "At nine-thirty, the McNamara's came home. I went over and talked to Grace. She said that Darien had left the gym at eight, to walk home. I drove back and forth to the school at least three times..I thought maybe she'd gotten hurt and couldn't walk."

Jack nodded, noting the times Jayne Blessing mentioned in his book.

"Did you speak to Darien's coach, Robert Duncan?"

A look of genuine bewilderment crossed Jayne Blessing's face. "No..no, I didn't even think to call him." Her tone was confused. "I..I don't even think we have his number."

"Okay. We're in touch with him. Mrs. Blessing, what about any boyfriends, or ex-boyfriends? Of yours or Darien's, here or in Chicago?"

Jayne shook her head. "Both Darien and I went on casual dates in Chicago, but nothing ever lasted longer than a few weeks. I haven't dated since we moved here, and I'm pretty sure Darien would have told me if she had. She's not the type to sneak around."

Again Jack nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Blessing." He glanced at Samantha, who was wrapping up her questioning with Grace.

"Can you show Samantha and myself Darien's room, please?"

'Why' seemed to be on the tip of Jayne Blessing's tongue, but she swallowed the question and nodded mutely, standing. She led the two agents up a flight of stairs and into the first room on their right. Both Samantha and Jack smiled at her.

"Thank you.." Samantha trailed off as she and Jack began looking around the room. There was nothing atypical about it at first glance, Samantha decided. A double bed with a deep green comforter and a pile of clothes on the end was positioned against the wall, next to a wooden nightstand that matched the wooden set of drawers on the other side of the room. A rather large CD player sat on top of the dresser, next to a stack of CDs. There were a few articles of clothing thrown haphazardly around the room, but Samantha knew this meant nothing; the clothing in her own room was even more scattered. 

"Do you see anything out of place here, Mrs. Blessing? Anything missing?" Jack glanced up at the woman before going back to his search of the closet.

"No. I put those clothes on her bed before I left for work, and it looks exactly the same in here." A rueful smile. "I asked her to clean it before basketball, but she usually ignores me when I tell her to clean her room."

Jack moved from the closet to the window, glancing at it briefly for any signs of disturbance. Finding none, he walked over to Samantha. "Anything, Sam?" He asked softly.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I don't think she made it home last night, Jack," She answered just as softly.

"Okay. Let's get back to the unit, see what Viv, Martin and Danny found out."

As they left, Samantha hugged Grace briefly, handing her a white card. "Call me if you think of anything, or if you need to talk." She gave the girl a reassuring smile.

Jack gave a similar card to Jayne Blessing. "Call anytime, Mrs. Blessing. We'll be in touch as soon as we have something new."

The agents walked back into the bright sunlight together.

"There hasn't been a ransom demand, Jack," Samantha looked troubled, as she fiddled with her notebook. A ransom demand wasn't usually a good thing, but in this case, since the Blessings didn't appear to be particularly affluent, receiving one may have suggested an amateur, or a spontaneous kidnapping, which would probably have made their search easier.

"I know." Their eyes met, and Jack's voice was quiet, resigned. "It doesn't look like a runaway, either." He started the car. "All we've got are more questions." He touched her arm softly. "Let's hope the others have some answers."


	2. Part 2

Careful, Chapter 2

Notes**: **Love, as always, to everyone at Maple Street. Without you..well, I don't really want to think about that G. This chapter is virtually Jack and Samantha free. I kind of hate it. However, here's the second installment of Careful.

Less than a mile away from the Blessing residence, Danny and Martin waited in the air conditioned main office of Brennamen High as the school's harried looking secretary relayed their message over the school's PA system.

"All girls who attended last night's open gym, please report to.." here she trailed off, glancing at the two men with a raised eyebrow. "Where do you want them?" she mouthed, covering the microphone.

A glance at Martin, and Danny responded, "The gym."

"Please report to the gymnasium immediately. Thank you."

Martin shot Danny a questioning glance. "Wouldn't a classroom have been easier?"

Danny shrugged. "The gym's the closest we've got to the scene of the crime."

With a thoughtful look, Martin acquiesced.

Both men thanked the secretary, a Mrs. Carroll, after she led them down a short hallway to the entrance of the gym. The woman looked as if she couldn't fully wrap her mind around the fact that one of the school's students was missing, a perplexed look affixed on her face as she returned to the office. 

With no more time to speculate on the secretary's condition, Danny and Martin stepped into the brightly lit gymnasium. It was a typical high school gym; wooden floor, six basketball nets, banners hanging from the walls, bleachers banking both sides. Conveniently, one set of bleachers was extended halfway, and as wary looking teenaged girls began filing in, Danny gestured for them to sit along said bleachers.

As they approached, snippets of conversation were overheard.

"..what the hell did we do now?"

"Bobbo's sending the men in black after us?"

"..thought last night was a _good night.."_

Glancing at Danny, Martin could see his jaw working to conceal an amused grin, and he smoothly took the lead.

"Thank you for coming. I'm Agent Fitzgerald, and this is Agent Taylor, of the FBI."

Raised eyebrows and looks of confusion all around, except for one girl, whose blue eyes widened as her hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh my God..this is about Darien." Her voice sounded choked.

"What're you talking about, Sleater?" A skeptical look from one of the others, until she glanced around and realized Darien wasn't among them.

The girl, Sleater, turned her widened gaze on the agents.

"What's your name?" Danny asked gently.

"Sleater Christie," she answered in barely a whisper. Danny nodded for her to continue.

"Last night. Mrs. Blessing called me around nine..she said Darien hadn't come home from open gym yet." Sleater's brow furrowed as she recalled the conversation, and Danny made sure he took down everything she said. "I told her that we had finished at eight, and that I'd seen Darien leave the gym with Grace. I didn't even think about it, because they always leave together. She thanked me, and said she was sure Darien had just gone somewhere with Grace." Sleater looked at her hands before returning her troubled gaze to the agents. "She didn't sound sure."

"Hey, Grace isn't here, either," noted another girl.

"She wasn't in homeroom this morning."

"Who's Grace?" Martin asked, looking up from his writing at the unfamiliar name.

The earlier looks of confusion had become ones of worry and disbelief.

"Grace McNamara, Darien's best friend. She's probably with Mrs. Blessing," Sleater spoke sensibly through her cloud of anxiety.

"Sleater's right. Darien didn't come home last night, that's why we're here. We need to know exactly what happened. Everything you remember..about the open gym, about Darien, about what happened when it was over. It's very important." Danny's solid voice took control of the gymnasium, and the girls quieted.

One, a tall brunette who was nervously fiddling with a pen, spoke up first. "It was a normal open gym. We were all there about ten minutes before it started, because Coach likes to make us run if we aren't. We shot around for about twenty minutes, and then lined up for foul shots. That's how we decide on teams." She shrugged. "Then we played. It was kind of rough, since there were only eleven of us, but Coach gave us enough breaks. It was like every other open gym we've ever had." 

"How did Darien seem?"

A chorus of shrugs greeted Martin's question.

"She was fine." It was Sleater who fielded the query. "I know I didn't notice anything different about her..she was kind of quiet, like always, but friendly, and she played well, as usual."

"None of us really know her that well yet, except for Grace," another girl added. "But she's always been really nice, easy to get along with."

"What happened when the open gym was over?" Danny hoped that being in the gym might help jog some memories, help at least one girl remember something out of the ordinary.

"Basically, we left." Sleater's tone was apologetic. "Really, that's it. I think Grace and Darien were the first out of the gym, if that's a help." Sleater looked as if she didn't think it would be.

"We didn't leave." The tall brunette who had spoken earlier gestured to herself and the equally tall girl sitting next to her. "We were here with Coach till about eight forty-five, working on post moves. Sometimes we stay to get some extra practice in, before the season starts."

Martin and Danny exchanged glances. "Your coach was in the gym until eight forty-five?"

The girl shrugged. "Yeah, at least. Maybe later..he stays to help the cleaning staff close the gym sometimes."

"He's out," Danny spoke softly out of the corner of his mouth to Martin, who nodded almost imperceptibly. 

"Was there anyone here last night who wasn't usually? Any strange cars in the parking lot, or people milling around outside?" 

A nine-way exchange of glances between the girls before they turned blankly back to the agents.

"Nope. Just us and Coach in the gym, and some of the cleaning staff. Most of them were outside around back, though, finishing up some stuff on the auxiliary gym. It's new." Sleater spoke matter-of-factly.

Martin looked at Danny, who shrugged in resignation. They weren't going to learn anything else here, not now. 

"Okay, girls. That's all for now. Thank you; you can head back to class." The heavy weight of Darien's disappearance cast a shadow over the group, and they left for their classes without the usual sighs of reluctance that accompanied a return to the classroom.

"Excuse me?" A timid but determined voice sounded behind Danny and Martin as they walked toward the gymnasium doors, and the men turned to meet the distressed blue gaze of Sleater Christie.

"Um, I know we weren't much help. I'm sorry about that. But we all like Darien, alot. So if there's anything we can do.." She trailed off, her tone pleading, broken. "Please find her." Her last words were almost a gasp. 

Danny touched her shoulder and nodded, a promise without words.

"Be careful. All of you, be careful. Stick together, okay?" Martin's voice was firm, steady.

"Yeah, we will. You too," was Sleater's parting line as she slipped past them out of the gym.

Slightly baffled, Martin looked after her. "That was kind of strange."

"Maybe not," Danny spoke as they made their way down the hallway to the main doors of Brennamen. "We have no idea what we're dealing with here."

"So the coach is out. Darien would have gotten home long before he even left the gym." Martin glanced through his notebook.

"Right. Unless, of course, he broke into her house. It doesn't seem to fit, though. He sounds like a typical basketball coach to me..strict and intimidating, probably kind of a jerk on the court, but basically an okay guy." Danny was thoughtful as he started the car's engine. "Guess we'll see what Viv found out." A frown, then he spoke again. "Call Vivian, will you? See if the coach can give her the names of the men working on the other gym last night. Maybe one of them saw something."

"Yeah, sure." Martin pulled out his phone and punched in Vivian's number.

Danny glanced back at the school once more before pulling out. "I'm worried about the rest of them. Stuff like this, it doesn't happen around here. I wonder if they even know the meaning of careful.

Vivian stepped through the glass doors of Trenton Corporation, into a chilled lobby blanketed by thick blue carpet. She was greeted pleasantly by a receptionist sitting behind a large wooden desk, whose smile faltered slightly when Vivian flashed her badge.

"I need to speak with Robert Duncan." Vivian's tone left no room for argument, and the other woman nodded, picking up the white phone from atop her desk.

"Mr. Duncan? There's a Vivian Johnson from the FBI here to see you....No, I don't know why. Okay. We'll be right there."

She motioned for Vivian to follow, and the agent did, glancing mildly around the plush hallway at the roomy offices surrounding it. Soon the receptionist stopped outside of one of the offices, nodding for Vivian to enter. Vivian smiled her thanks before stepping into the office.

A tall, thirty-something man with dark brown hair and a stern but relatively genial face stood upon her arrival. 

"Robert Duncan?" He nodded, and she continued. "I'm Vivian Johnson, of the FBI." She showed him her badge briefly.

He motioned for her to sit in the chair across from him, and she did.

"What's this about, Agent Johnson?" His tone was perplexed but unwary, his face questioning but relaxed.

"Mr. Duncan, Darien Blessing didn't return home after your open gym last night. She's been missing for almost twelve hours now." Vivian spoke bluntly, firmly.

The unconcerned look on Robert Duncan's face immediately transformed into one of genuine shock. "Darien? Missing? You're sure?" His voice was disbelieving, thoroughly alarmed.

"Yes, we're sure. What happened last night, Mr. Duncan?" Vivian leaned forward, searching his face.

Robert Duncan ran a hand through his hair, focusing on a random point on his slightly cluttered desk before raising his eyes to Vivian's.

"God, um..the girls were all there by ten of six. There were eleven, I remember, including Darien. They started warming up and then split up into teams. I had them scrimmage until eight."

"Did you see Darien leave at eight?"

"I saw her walking out of the gym with Grace McNamara, yes. They're good friends; they usually leave together. I asked the girls if they all had a way home, and they said they did. I didn't actually see any of them after they left the gym, though, because I stayed later with two of the seniors, so they could work on some posting. They left around 8:45."

"Is that when you left, as well?" Vivian made a note to check his story against what Danny and Martin had learned. As it was, she didn't think Robert Duncan had a hand in Darien's disappearance. Vivian had been investigating for a long time, and had become exceptionally talented at reading people. Robert Duncan's shock and concern were, in her opinion, genuine.

"Yes..well, not exactly. I put everything away in the gym, and then I went around to the back of the school, to check the progress on our auxiliary gym and to find someone to close the main gym for me. After that, I left."

"Did you notice anything out of the ordinary about Darien's behavior last night?"

"Honestly, no..I don't know her that well yet, since she just moved here, but she seemed the same as always to me. Quiet, easygoing. Nice kid."

At that moment, Vivian's phone rang shrilly. She picked it up, giving Robert Duncan an apologetic half smile before answering.

"Johnson."

"Hey, Viv." Martin's voice sounded in her ear.

"What's going on?"

"Listen, see if you can get the names of the men working on the auxiliary gym last night from the coach, okay? Danny thinks maybe one of them saw something."

"It's worth a shot. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

"Bye."

Vivian closed her phone and turned back to Robert Duncan, who was leaning forward on his desk, head in his hands.

"Mr. Duncan, do you have the names of the men who were at the gym last night, either working on the auxiliary gym or otherwise?"

A grimace from the man sitting across from her. "I don't have all their names, no. I can give you the name and number of the man in charge, though. He should be able to tell you the rest."

"Good."

A few minutes later, Robert Duncan handed her a white slip of paper. On the top was the name Daniel Banneker, and his number. Under that, Robert Duncan's own name and another number. 

"That's my home number. Please, call me if I can do anything to help. I've got to call Mrs. Blessing now. Agent Johnson..good luck." His voice was thick with distress.

"Thank you, Mr. Duncan. Call if you remember anything else." With a final nod in his direction, Vivian slipped out of the office.

_God, it hurt._

_The first thing she became aware of was an intense throbbing, a pain that resonated through her entire being, but was most centrally located above her left eye. The second thing she realized was that she couldn't move. Arms and legs were bound, and she was curled up on a damp, cold floor, bathed in darkness. At least, she assumed it was dark. Her left eye was swollen shut, and the right was so caked with blood that she couldn't pry it open, not yet. More than anything, more than the heavy footsteps that sounded above her, more than being tied up, more than not knowing where she was, this, the inability to see, this was what frightened her the most. That, and the fact that she just couldn't..remember. Even greater than her fear of losing her sight was her fear of losing her mind, and now it seemed she had lost both, if only temporarily. She knew where she was now. This wet, hard, unforgiving place..this was her hell._


	3. Part 3

Careful, Chapter 3

Notes: Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback, and to Maple Street for being the most incredible forum ever.

The board seemed to be mocking her, Samantha decided, mocking her with its supreme whiteness and lack of sufficient black contrast. 

'Not enough..it's not enough,' she thought in frustration, not realizing she had mumbled the words out loud until Jack looked up at her from his own seat, giving her a questioning, concerned glance.

"Sorry." Samantha leaned back in her chair, glaring at the board in front of them. "But we've got nothing so far." A glance down at her notes. "Darien left the gym at eight. The walk home should've taken her, what, fifteen, maybe twenty minutes?"

"She's an athlete. Probably less time," Jack offered. 

"Normally, yes. But she's just played two solid hours of basketball. You don't think she'd be a little worn out?"

Jack could see that postulating was helping Samantha, relieving her frustration at the case's temporary standstill. Tossing around ideas with her always aided him as well, and he continued.

"Point taken. A little worn out, a little sluggish? Off her guard, I would think, if she even has a guard in that town."

Samantha bit her lip, eyes slightly narrowed, a sure sign of her deep concentration. "She was a city kid, though, for most of her life. You think she relaxed that fast?"

Jack shrugged. "It's possible. Jayne Blessing told us she adjusted almost immediately. Besides, didn't Grace tell you that the two of them walked to and from their high school all the time?"

Samantha nodded in agreement as she recognized and picked up Jack's train of thought. "Familiarity breeds comfort, I guess. If Darien was comfortable with the route she was walking, she probably wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings."

"Which made her an easy target, especially since she was alone."

On that note, Danny and Martin arrived at the unit, taking their places at the table.

"Hey, guys. What'd you find out?" 

"Not all that much. We need Vivian to confirm it, but we're pretty sure the coach has a solid alibi..two of the girls say he stayed to work later with them."

"How much later?" Jack glanced at the white board.

"Eight forty-five later," Martin responded.

"Okay. Anything else?"

"No one noticed anything strange about Darien's behavior," Danny reported. "They all said basically the same thing..she was nice and quiet, the same as always."

"One of the girls, Sleater Christie, said that Mrs. Blessing called her around nine to confirm that the open gym had ended on time." 

Jack nodded after Martin spoke. "Mrs. Blessing told me the same thing."

"Oh yeah, did you talk to a Grace McNamara? She was at the open gym but not in school, and the girls told us they saw Grace and Darien leave the gym together."

Samantha nodded in response. "She was at the Blessing's house. Apparently, she and Darien are extremely close. They usually walk home together, but last night Grace had to go to a party for her cousin, so Darien walked home alone."

Danny pulled a map out of his pocket, bought at the last minute from a gas station on the return trip from Brennamen High. He spread the map over the table, smoothing out it's wrinkles. As he did, Vivian appeared at the front of the table.

"Hey, Viv. What'd you think of Robert Duncan?"

A shrug from Vivian. "I think he's clean. He claims he was at the gym until eight forty-five, working with two of the seniors." Her last comment was directed at Danny and Martin, who nodded in unison.

"He seemed genuinely surprised," she continued. "He also said he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about Darien."

"Story of the case, so far," Samantha observed, a twinge of frustration returning to her voice.

"I did get the number of the man in charge of working on the auxiliary gym." Vivian pulled out the slip of paper Robert Duncan had given her, and handed it to Jack.

"Good work. Let's check out this map first, then we'll give this Daniel Banneker a call."

All five agents turned their attention to the map spread out in front of them.

"Okay, the school is here," Danny pointed to a brown square in the relative center of town.

"The Blessing's live on this street," Jack observed, scanning the map and tracing a faint blue line that was slightly less than three quarters of an inch from the square representing the school.

"There's really only one route she could have taken," Samantha pointed out, running a finger over the map. 

After a moment, the others nodded in agreement.

"I think we need to check out this route," Danny looked at Jack for confirmation, and received it.

"Right. You and Martin, start back at the school. Take the map, and walk this route..look for any overgrowths, alleyways, any place where it would have been easy for someone to take Darien by surprise, or drag her into."

"Okay." Martin folded up the map, slipping it into his pocket, before nodding to Danny. "Vamos."

As the two men left, Jack handed Vivian the paper she had given him earlier.

"Feel like giving Daniel Banneker a call?" 

Vivian smiled as she took the slip back. "Why not?"

"Find out if he saw anything, and get a list of the names and numbers of the men who were there last night. We'll split the rest of them up between us."

A firm nod, and Vivian disappeared into her cubicle.

"Sam, we've got to--" Jack had been about to say 'do some research on David Blessing', but at that moment, Samantha's gaze left his and fixed on a point behind him. Turning, Jack saw Mara Jennings standing uneasily in the middle of the room, eyes just as red and puffy as before, hands nervously twisting dark blonde hair into a low ponytail.

"Mrs. Jennings?" Samantha's gentle voice seemed to break the other woman out of her nervous state, though she remained distressed as she asked if there was somewhere they could go to talk.

Samantha and Jack settled her into a chair in a private conference room, taking their own seats on the other side of the table.  

Discreetly, Jack slipped a pad of paper onto the table, as words began pouring freely from Mara Jennings.

"I should have told you this sooner. I'm so sorry. I just couldn't, not in front of Jayne." The woman took a deep breath before continuing. "About two weeks ago, Jayne was working, but I had the day off. Darien came to my house after school. I live a mile or so away from the Blessing's," she supplied, and Samantha idly noted how important distances had become in this particular case. "She seemed extremely agitated, really wound up, and it took about twenty minutes before she could tell me why she had come." Mara had avoided looking directly at the agents up until this point, and Samantha was struck by the pain she saw in the woman's steel blue eyes. "She told me that her father had called her at home, twice over the past two days, both times after school when Jayne was working. That was the first time she had spoken to him in almost eight years. I should have told Jayne. I wanted to, but Darien begged me not to say anything."

Samantha's mind was reeling with this new information, and a glance at Jack told her he felt the same. 

"Mrs. Jennings, what was the nature of these phone calls? Did Darien tell you what was said?" 

Mara Jennings seemed to have composed herself, and her voice was steady as she answered.

"The first time, Darien hung up on him. She said she didn't believe it was him, or she didn't want to believe it. The second day, though, he convinced her to stay on the phone. He told her he just wanted to talk to her, that he missed her, that he was so sorry he hadn't called or seen her since the divorce. Darien told me she didn't know what to think. I know she misses having a father around, but she hasn't forgiven him for leaving, especially because of how close she and Jayne are."

"Was that the last time she spoke to Mr. Blessing, after the second phone call?" Samantha had a feeling there was more to Mara's story.

For an answer, Mara Jennings dropped her head into her hands, before shaking her head no. 

"That day, Darien asked me...she asked me if I'd let her use my phone, once a week, to call her dad. She didn't want to do it from her own house, in case Jayne found out. She felt guilty, and confused, for wanting to talk to him. I said she could." Mara's hands were clenched tightly, nails digging into her palms. "She promised me she would tell Jayne, at the right time."

"Mrs. Jennings, when is the last time Darien talked to her father?" Jack's voice was low, urgent.

"Last Thursday, after school, for about twenty minutes."

"Did Darien tell you anything about the conversation?"

"I always stayed in the room with Darien when she talked to David. Her idea, not mine, but it did make me feel a little better. Anyway, it was small talk for awhile, from what I heard on Darien's end. School, weather, sports. Eventually, though, Darien got very upset..I remember she kept saying 'no', 'not now', things of that nature. The conversation ended pretty abruptly, and after she hung up, Darien told me that he had asked to see her. She said she wasn't ready, that she didn't even know if she wanted to see him. He was pretty insistent, I guess, but Darien wouldn't give in." 

"And you're sure she hadn't talked to him since last Thursday?" 

Mara shrugged. "Pretty sure, yes. After that, I think she wanted to wait awhile before speaking to him again."

_School, weather, sports._

With a growing sense of dread, Samantha spoke. "You said Darien told her father about sports? Did he know about their open gyms?"

"Yes..I remember she mentioned them." Mara closed her eyes for a long moment.

"Mrs. Jennings, what do you know about David Blessing?" To Jack, it was suddenly very warm in the conference room, and the air was heavy with tension.

Another helpless shrug from Mara Jennings. "Not much. I only met him once, at the wedding, and that was so long ago. I remember he was kind of quiet, withdrawn..when I first met Darien, she reminded me a bit of him. I know he owns a small business in Chicago, and I know he almost destroyed Jayne and Darien when he left." A short laugh, devoid of mirth. "I'm sure you're wondering why I agreed to let Darien talk to him, especially without Jayne's knowledge. I'm wondering the same thing."

"Actually, I was wondering how Jayne Blessing is going to find out about this. She needs to know." Jack's words were cold, but his voice was laced with a gentle understanding.

"I need to tell her. I'm going back there now." Mara nodded to herself. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier. I don't know if David had any part in Darien's disappearance, but I don't know that he didn't." Reaching into her purse, Mara pulled out a phone number and handed it to the agents. "The Blessing's home number. Darien kept it at my house."

Samantha took the number from the other woman, smiling softly. "Thank you, Mrs. Jennings."

A nod to both of the agents, and Mara was gone.

Neither spoke for a moment after she left, and finally Jack turned to Samantha.

"What do you think?"

Samantha didn't hesitate. "Two weeks before she disappears, the father with whom she's had absolutely no contact for eight years suddenly wants to talk to her. Wants to _see her. Insists, it sounds like to me, upon seeing her. I don't know. If he has nothing to do with her disappearance, that'd be one hell of a coincidence. What about you?" _

"I think.." Jack trailed off for a second, before making up his mind. "I think we're going to Chicago."


	4. Part 4

Careful, Chapter 4

Notes: So much thanks for all the wonderful feedback, and thanks as always to the amazing Maple Street.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Banneker."

Vivian hung up the phone, and left her cubicle to retrieve the fax Daniel Banneker was sending. The document contained the names of all the men who had been working Sunday night, their phone numbers and, as an afterthought, Vivian had asked for a time clock to be included. Other than that, though, Daniel Banneker hadn't been much help; he'd spent most of Sunday night inside the auxiliary gym, unable to see anything happening outside. 

As Vivian waited for Daniel Banneker's fax to finish, Samantha and Jack left their conference room and made their way over to her. Jack's face was grim, and Samantha looked just as tense. 

"What's wrong?"

"Looks like a trip to Chicago is necessary, after all. Mara Jennings, Jayne Blessing's best friend? She just told us that Darien's father has been in contact with her for the past two weeks, and he's been rather adamant about seeing her." Samantha continued to fill Vivian in on their conversation with Mara Jennings, while Jack talked to Van Doren and the Chicago PD, and made arrangements for their flight. 

"So he just called her, out of the blue?" Vivian asked as she picked up the fax.

"Apparently, yeah. Last Thursday was the last time they spoke, but that's when he got really intense about seeing her." Samantha nodded to the paper Vivian was holding. "What's that?"

"Oh, the men working on the gym Sunday night. Daniel Banneker says he didn't say anything, but he was inside the whole time."

Jack returned as Samantha and Vivian were going over the list.

"Sam, you ready? We should be back by this afternoon."

A nod, as Samantha gathered the remains of her things.

"Viv, you've got everything under control here, right?" It wasn't so much a question as a statement. Jack trusted Vivian completely, and, more often than not, thought she would be better at running the unit than he was. 

"Sure."

"As soon as Martin and Danny get back, tackle that list..hey, run the names through the system first, okay? Daniel Banneker too. We'll call as soon as we have something."

Vivian nodded. "I'll do the same."

Jack pulled out his phone as he and Samantha made their way to the ground floor. He spoke briefly with Danny, before hanging up.

"They're still checking out the route..Danny said he'll call when they're finished."

The pair exited the building, and slid into Jack's car. Samantha glanced at the clock, which read 8:58. 

"You think he took her back to Chicago?" Samantha wondered as they began the short drive to the airport.

A shrug from Jack. "If he did take her, there's a number of ways this could play out. Maybe he took her back to Chicago, but it would probably have to be by car; I can't see him getting her on a plane."

"Unless she went willingly, which I don't think is the case here," Samantha commented.

"Right. But it's a pretty long drive back to Chicago, especially with a hostile, terrified sixteen year old in the car."

"Yeah, well, he probably found a way to shut her up," Samantha pointed out, her voice slightly bitter.

Jack gave Samantha a sideways glance before continuing. "But maybe he didn't go back to Chicago at all. Hell, they could still be here in New York. I called their house before we left the unit, but there was no answer. Doesn't necessarily mean anything, though."

Samantha frowned in concentration. By now, Jack was pulling into the entrance of the airport. 

"Jayne Blessing said that David remarried, right?"

"Yup." Jack confirmed her question as they walked inside. "The Chicago PD is on alert, in case we need them, and they'll have a car waiting for us at the airport," he informed Samantha as they walked through the chilled terminal to their plane. Neither paid much attention to their surroundings, their entire focus was on each other and the case. Once boarded, they continued running through possible scenarios, preparing as much as possible for whatever would be found in Chicago. The flight passed quickly, and soon the plane was touching down and rolling to a stop.

"You ready?" Jack touched Samantha's shoulder lightly.

"Sure." With that, they left the plane behind and stepped together into Chicago.

For the second time that day, Danny parked in Brennamen High School's crowded lot. Martin had phoned earlier to let those in charge at Brennamen know that he and Danny would be returning, and so they walked directly to the back of school, where the new auxiliary gym was being built. Both men were silent for a few moments as they looked around. The addition was a decent size and, from the outside, looked to be about three quarters finished. Slowly, Danny walked from one end to the other, his eyes trained on the street and sidewalk across from the auxiliary gym, half hidden by the gym itself and a small line of trees.

"Vantage point isn't so great," he commented to Martin, who nodded in agreement. The street was visible from the auxiliary gym, but only a few yards of it. Together, they walked to the entrance of the main gym. 

"If she walked this way-"

"-which she had to," Martin pointed out.

"-then anyone working on the auxiliary gym would be able to see her leaving the gym.." Danny trailed off as they made their way across the back parking lot and to the other side of the street.

"And up until about here," Martin finished, looking back across the street. The auxiliary gym was now almost completely blocked from their view by the school and main gym.

"Right." 

Martin pulled the map from his pocket, and opened it. The route was short and straightforward, and the men soon had it memorized.

"Guess we better get started," Danny commented, and they began walking. For awhile, there was nothing but bright homes on either side of the walk, but as they continued, a small path caught Danny's eye.

"Hey, look at this."

It was a small alleyway, open to the street but closed on the opposite side by the back of what looked like an old barn, and surrounded on the right and left by two houses, each with a fence and a line of rather overgrown bushes. The alley was narrow, but wide and long enough to hold at least two cars.

"Streetlights are only on that side of the street," Martin pointed out, nodding across the road.

"Bet it gets dark in here at night, even if the sun is just going down," Danny said in reply.

"Like around eight o'clock?"

"You got it."

"If she was walking along here, not really paying attention.."

"Someone could hide against one of these fences and be almost completely out of view," Danny finished Martin's thought.

"Exactly."

A thorough search showed that nothing had been left behind in the alleyway and, after taking a few pictures, Martin and Danny continued along Darien's route, but found no other areas in which someone could have hidden to surprise Darien. 

Quickly, they made their way back to the school, and, with a final look around the auxiliary gym, left Brennamen for the unit.

Flanked by two members of the Chicago PD, Samantha and Jack rolled up silently in front of a modest home on the fringe of the city. Checking the address, Samantha nodded to Jack, and he slid the car into park. The agents left their vehicle and made their way up the short walkway, motioning for the other officers to remain in their car for the time being. Samantha rang the doorbell when they approached, and it was opened by a tall woman with curly blonde hair.

"Can I help you?" The woman appeared very perplexed.

"Catherine Blessing?" When she nodded, Jack continued. "I'm Agent Malone, and this is Agent Spade, of the FBI. We need to speak with your husband immediately."

"David? He's not here right now. What's this about?"

"Where is he, Mrs. Blessing?" Samantha's voice was calm but insistent.

"At work. He just got back an hour or so ago from a business trip to Philadelphia, and he went to the office right from the airport."

Jack didn't have to look at Samantha to know what she was thinking.

"We'll need his business address, ma'am."

Still very confused, Catherine Blessing nevertheless nodded and disappeared into her house, returning to the door with a small white business card.

"Please, tell me what's going on," she entreated from the doorway after handing them the card.

"Your husband's daughter is missing."

Catherine Blessing's face turned white, and for a second Samantha thought she was going to pass out. "Chel--oh, no. Darien?"

The agents nodded, and the other woman seemed to recover, if only slightly. 

"You don't think..." she trailed off as she realized exactly what they thought.

"Thank you for your help, Mrs. Blessing." Jack was firm but gentle, and the woman nodded, still slightly dazed, before closing her front door. 

"Business trip?" Samantha's voice was hard as they returned to the cars.

"Guess we'll see."

Jack showed the members of Chicago's police department the card, and they agreed to lead the way to David Blessing's office.

The office was less than fifteen minutes away from the Blessing's home, and soon the cars were pulling up in front of a small building, dwarfed by the skyscrapers that surrounded it but very distinguished-looking itself. Again, Jack motioned for the officers to stay behind as he and Samantha stepped through a pair of wooden doors into a bright lobby.

"I'm Agent Malone, and this is Agent Spade of the FBI. We need to speak to David Blessing immediately," Jack instructed the receptionist who, sensing their urgency, nodded and led them up a short flight of stairs and into a rather spacious office. 

A tall, slightly rumpled man looked up from a mass of paperwork at their arrival. Jack introduced himself and Samantha again, and the man's dark eyes widened in surprise.

"Can I help you?"

"We hope so." Samantha's voice was ice cold. "Darien has been missing since eight o'clock last night. Anything you'd like to tell us about that?"

"Darien is _missing?" David Blessing's voice was incredulous. _

"Yeah, she is, Mr. Blessing. According to your wife, you were in Philadelphia last night. Can anyone vouch for that?" Jack stepped in, hoping to pacify Samantha, who was almost trembling in anger.

"Oh..God, yeah..my business partner, Jake Buchanan. We were in Philadelphia together since Saturday. He's in the office right next door." A beat. "Why?"

"Because we're finding it a little too coincidental that Darien disappeared just two weeks after you resumed contact with her, that's why." Samantha's eyes glittered dangerously, pinning David Blessing to his seat.

The man's shoulders slumped. "I'm telling you, I had nothing to do with this. I've been in Philadelphia all weekend. Besides, I would never.." his voice broke.

"Never what?"

"Never hurt Darien! God, we were just starting to talk again..it had been so long.."

"And why is that, Mr. Blessing? Because you ignored her for eight years?" Samantha's voice had dropped to barely above a whisper, but her words still cut as deeply as if she had shouted them. Jack knew she was close, close to crossing a line he would need to pull her back from, but for now he let her flirt with that line, let her work David Blessing over.

When he didn't answer Samantha's question, she spoke again. "Did you feel rejected, Mr. Blessing, because the daughter you walked out on didn't want to see you? Thought maybe you'd show up anyway, but she didn't want anything to do with-"

Mr. Blessing stood, cutting Samantha off. She rose as well, meeting his eyes.

"I," he started, slowly and deliberately, "was a horrible father to Darien. I admit that. But I would never hurt her. I had nothing to do with her disappearance. Nothing. My business partner will tell you that I was in Philadelphia all weekend. I can give you the number of the man who ran the conference we were attending, if you'd like, and he can vouch for me as well."

Jack could feel the anger coming off Samantha in waves.

"Mr. Blessing, why did you contact Darien two weeks ago?" Jack quietly voiced his question, and both Samantha and David Blessing sat down.

David Blessing pointed to a framed photograph on his desk, in which a young girl with curly blonde hair and dark brown eyes sat, grinning, on a tire swing.

"My daughter, Chelsea. She turned six about a month ago. I left..when Darien was only two years older than Chelsea is now. She reminds me more of Darien every day, and finally I couldn't take it anymore. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wanted so badly to talk to her. When she said she'd call once a week..I couldn't ask for more than that."

"Apparently you did ask for more than that, Mr. Blessing. According to Mara Jennings, you insisted upon seeing Darien, and she became very upset."

David Blessing raked a hand through his hair before answering. "I know." His voice was quiet, subdued. "I wanted to stop in New York on the way to Philadelphia, visit for a little while. She refused, and pretty much hung up on me. It was stupid to even ask that of her, I know. Too much, way too soon. For me too, probably."

"What about Jayne? Were you aware that she had no idea you were speaking to Darien?" Samantha's tone was clipped.

"Yes, but Darien insisted she was going to tell her. She wanted to do it, but I would have called Jayne myself if Darien hadn't said she wanted to tell her."

"Okay. We need the number of the man in charge of your conference, and your flight information, as well." Jack stood and, though resigned, Samantha followed suit. 

David Blessing gave them the necessary information before returning to his desk. He sat, unmoving, a blank, lost look on his face as they left his office. His alibi was quickly solidified by Jake Buchanan, and further verified by the flight information and the man whose conference David Blessing had attended.

Samantha didn't speak on the brief ride to the airport. When they had boarded the plane for their return trip, however, Jack couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"You okay?"

It was a long moment before Samantha turned away from the small window, and met his concerned gaze.

"I was so sure.." She broke off, shaking her head. "It just seemed to fall so perfectly into place, you know? Eight years, Jack. Eight years, and she disappears _two weeks after he calls her up."_

"It was an extremely plausible scenario," Jack agreed.

"I just..I hate being so wrong. I hate this feeling of failure, and I especially hate that she's still out there, somewhere."

"Sam, you weren't _wrong_. It was a lead, and we went with it. We."

"Yeah, but I insisted..I thought it had to be him. From the moment Mara Jennings told us he had called Darien, I was convinced. I was too sure to consider anything else."

"Samantha. I need you on this, okay? I need you clear and focused, because we're going to find her."

A moment, then, "Do you know the first time someone told me that I was smart, and meant it? That someone really needed me for my mind, not to look pretty or be tough, but because I was intelligent and capable?"

Jack wasn't sure where she was going, but he shrugged. "No, why?"

"You should. It was you." She glanced out the window once more before continuing. "After our second case together, I remember, I thought it was luck when I found that cell phone match. But you..you told me it was hard work, intuition and brains." A small smile crept onto her face. "You meant it, too. Thank you, Jack. I'll never forget that."

Jack was about to refute her, to tell her that surely others had recognized her deep intelligence before him, but the raw honesty in her eyes stopped him. He settled instead for gently, softly, lacing their fingers together, and her smile grew. After a few moments, she spoke again.

"God, I'm sorry. I don't know where the hell that bout of insecurity came from," Samantha shook her head, but she didn't let go of his hand.

"S'okay. You alright now?" A twinge of concern remained in his voice.

"Yeah. We're gonna find her, Jack." Samantha rested back against her seat. Another silence fell over them, but this time it didn't bother Jack at all.


	5. Part 5

Careful, Chapter 5.

Notes: Thanks to everyone at Maple Street for your wonderful encouragement..I would have abandoned this a long time ago if it wasn't for you.

_Just a little further...there._

_Slowly, she managed to crack open her right eye, wincing at the effort it took to allow a sliver of vision to penetrate. Still bound by ropes and unable to move, she glanced around from her uncomfortable position on the hard floor. The room was dark, as she'd suspected, and crowded..full of old boxes, tables and chairs..junk, mostly. A small, dirty window high on one wall let in a tiny bit of light, and she realized the room was most likely a basement. A door above her slammed, and she heard rather than saw the man walking down the flight of old wooden stairs. And she felt, rather than saw, the hard object that crashed across her face. She could feel herself slipping..slipping back into the blackness, into the dark, and she fought hard, seizing onto the single sliver of light, of hope, that still remained.._

"Hey, Viv."

Vivian looked up from her desk at Martin and Danny, who had just returned from their reconnaissance of Darien's route home.

"Hey, guys. What'd you find out?"

"Look at these." Pulling out a small pack of Polaroids, Danny spread the pictures he and Martin had taken across the table.  

"This alley is about halfway between Darien's house, and the school," Martin explained.

"It's pretty much the only place we saw along the route that someone could have surprised Darien," Danny continued.

Vivian nodded as she looked over the pictures.

"Good work, guys. It looks like it'd be pretty easy to pull a car in here, maybe hide next to these bushes.."

"That's what we were thinking," Danny agreed. "We went to both houses alongside the alley, to see if anyone there saw or head anything, but no one was home at either."

"Any word from Jack and Samantha?" Martin asked as he began looking over the list of names Vivian had handed him.

"Not yet, no."

Danny tapped his own list of names thoughtfully.

"Y'know, I'm not sure how much help this is going to be. The street is only visible from the auxiliary gym for a few yards."

"We have to try," Vivian was firm. "Daniel Banneker sent a time clock along with the names. Out of twelve men, five clocked out between eight and eight-fifteen, three between eight forty-five and nine, and four between seven-thirty and seven forty-five. We'll start with the men who left between eight and eight-fifteen."

"Got it."

Each with a name and phone number, the agents retreated into their separate cubicles.

"Raymond Matheson?"

A gruff "Yeah?" sounded in Vivian's ear.

"Mr. Matheson, this is Agent Johnson of the FBI. I'd like to ask you a few questions about last night."

"What about last night?" The man's voice was defensive, wary.

"You were working on an auxiliary gym at Brennamen High School from.." Vivian glanced at the sheet in front of her,"three o'clock until eight o'clock, correct?"

"Yeah," Raymond Matheson answered, still cautionary.

"Mr. Matheson, a girl disappeared last night after her basketball open gym at Brennamen. The open gym ended at eight, and it says here that you clocked out at 8:03. When you left, did you see anything suspicious, out of the ordinary?"

"I didn't see anything suspicious. Saw the girls coming out of the gym as I was leaving, but that's it. I left and drove to Nerino's Hardware, to pick up some supplies for a few repairs I'm doing. Then I came home. I didn't see anything," he repeated.

"How far away is the hardware store from the school?" Vivian asked.

"'Bout..fifteen minutes?"

"Okay. Mr. Matheson, it says here that a Timothy Matheson was working for Daniel Banneker last night. Any relation?"

"Yeah, that's my little brother. I doubt he's at home, though. He's working at some construction site." Raymond explained, clearly more comfortable now that he wasn't the center of conversation.

"Can you give me a number where I can reach him?" Vivian asked.

"I don't have the number there, sorry." Instead, he gave Vivian a description of the site's location, and she thanked him before hanging up. As she did, a young agent walked into her cubicle.

"Agent Johnson? Here's the information you asked for." Vivian thanked him, and he left. Glancing over the paper, she saw that four out of the twelve men working for Daniel Banneker had minor records; two for D.U.I., one for possession of drugs and one for attempted burglary. She was mildly surprised to see that it was Raymond Matheson who had been arrested for attempted burglary, but Danny's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Anyone find anything?"

"Nothing," Martin announced. "Guy says he saw some of the girls walking out of the gym, but he drove home in the direction opposite Darien's route."

"Same here," Danny said. "Viv?"

Vivian shook her head, and as she did, her phone rang. She was surprised again, this time because it was Jack's voice on the other line.

"Hey, Viv. We just got back."

"Already? I guess you didn't find anything?"

"Nah. Blessing's got a solid alibi..Philadelphia all weekend at some business conference. How are things going?"

"Slowly. We're talking to the men who were working at the gym last night..so far, none of them have been any help. Danny and Martin said the route Darien walks is only visible from the gym for a few yards. Looks like I've got to check out some construction site. One of the men who left between eight and eight-fifteen last night is there now. That timeslot is our best bet."

"Where's the site?"

Vivian gave him the information Raymond Matheson had given her.

"Samantha and I will swing by, talk to him," Jack decided. "Keep trying the others, I guess. We'll be back soon."

"Okay. Talk to you then." Vivian hung up, turning to Danny and Martin

"Jack and Samantha are back. The ex-husband is clean; he was apparently in Philadelphia all weekend."

"Damn," Danny looked discouraged. 

"Jack said he and Samantha are going to question Timothy Matheson at the construction site where he works. I'll take the last one who left between eight and eight-fifteen, if you two want to start with the men who left between eight forty-five and nine."

"Sure." Martin and Danny began divvying up the names as Vivian dialed the final number.

Jack guided his vehicle into a tight parking space next to the construction site Vivian had described, and shut the car off. He turned to Samantha, who smiled.

"Let's go." She had been in much better spirits since the plane ride. Jack wasn't sure why, but he was glad all the same. Not much got past Samantha when she was focused and determined, and her enthusiasm was contagious. Together, they walked up a small hill and approached the man closest to them.

"Excuse me, sir?" Samantha's voice was all business, and the man looked up in surprise. "We're looking for a Timothy Matheson. Do you know where we could find him?"

Squinting against the sun, the man pointed to his right.

"See the guy in the green shirt? That's him."

With a smile, Samantha thanked him, as she and Jack started off in that direction.

"Timothy Matheson?" Jack spoke firmly to the young man in front of him. Jack estimated his age to be about twenty-four, though he wasn't positive. 

"Yes?" Timothy's face was quizzical.

"I'm Agent Malone, and this is Agent Spade of the FBI. We'd like to ask you a few questions about last night."

"Last night?" The man took off his gloves and set them down on the block in front of him. "What about last night?"

"You were working on the auxiliary gym at Brennamen High School from three to eight, correct?"

"Yeah, I work there for Mr. Banneker on weekends. Why, did something happen to it?"

"Not exactly." Samantha took over. "More like to someone. Mr. Matheson, one of the girls who attended the basketball open gym last night is missing."

"Tim, please. And that's horrible." His tone seemed genuine.

"Yes, it is. She never made it home. According to a time clock from your boss, you clocked out at 8:04.   Did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you left?"

Tim shook his head thoughtfully.

"I don't think so. I left as soon as I clocked out, and most of the girls were gone by then. I drove by Darien Blessing on my way home, but that's about it. I wasn't paying much attention," he confessed.

"How do you know Darien Blessing?" Jack fired the question immediately, and Samantha thought she saw a flash of...something, in the man's eyes, but it was gone almost immediately.

"I don't _know_ her. I've never spoken to her before, anyway. My brother, Ray? He talks about her sometimes, her and that other girl, Grace. He works at the school more than I do, so he sees her more often."

"Darien is missing, Tim. Do you know anything about it?" Samantha was urgent.

Tim appeared increasingly uncomfortable. He fidgeted with his green shirt, which was dotted with spots of mud, before answering.

"I don't know. God, I can't believe I'm even thinking this. Ray's at the school a lot. He always works Sunday nights, and he's mentioned Darien a couple times. You know, 'she's really pretty', stuff like that. Ray's twenty-eight," Tim clarified. "It's just kind of weird. And sometimes..Ray does stupid things."

"We don't have time for bullshit, Tim. A girl's life is in danger. Do you believe your brother had anything to do with Darien Blessing's disappearance?" Jack pushed the man on. To Samantha, he spoke in a low voice. "Call Vivian. Find out everything Ray Matheson told her." Samantha nodded and walked quietly off, pulling out her phone.

"Jesus, I don't know." Tim ran a hand through his dark hair, and he was quiet for a moment. "I'd like to say no. He's my brother. But it's strange..the girl he's talked about suddenly going missing? I don't know," he repeated. "Ray and I, we're not that close. We work together sometimes, and we live in the same neighborhood, but we've never been tight, not even as kids."

Samantha returned to Jack's side as quietly as she had gone.

"According to the agent your brother spoke to, he went straight to Nerino's Hardware after work. Said he had some repairs to do?"

"Nerino's Hardware? That's only a few miles away from.." Tim trailed off, shaking his head.

"A few miles away from what?" Jack's patience was wearing thin.

Tim sighed. "Ray has this..cabin, I guess, only it's more of a shack than anything else. He bought it about five years ago. It's really run-down, falling apart. There's a few of them, in a stretch of woods near Nerino's Hardware." The man's voice was grim. 

Samantha and Jack exchanged glances.

"We need to know exactly where this cabin is," Jack told him.

Resignedly, Tim nodded, giving Jack and Samantha directions to the cabin. "Once you get to the woods, you'll see a path. You can't miss it, and the cabin is about a mile or so in. Just follow the path," he concluded. "Listen..if Ray really did this..well, I'm sorry, I guess. I didn't know the girl at all, but.." he trailed off.

Samantha and Jack nodded, thanking him before turning and leaving the site. They walked quickly back to the car.

"Vivian talked to Ray Matheson at home, right?" 

Samantha nodded as Jack put the car into drive, pulling out of his space.

"We need to get a team of uniforms to meet us at the entry of this path." His tone was grim. "Call Vivian again, will you? Tell her to call Daniel Banneker back, and find out everything she can about Ray Matheson, including his home address. Have Martin and Danny watch his house."

Both took out their phones, Jack to call for a team of uniforms and Samantha to contact Vivian.

"Viv? It's Samantha again. Listen, we need everything we can get on Ray Matheson. Jack wants you to talk to Daniel Banneker again, and make sure you have his home address. Danny and Martin are supposed to watch the house. According to the brother, Ray has a cabin in the woods near Nerino's Hardware. She might be there..we're headed there now." Samantha listened as Vivian agreed and promised to call after talking to Daniel Banneker, and hung up.

Samantha was restless as Jack drove, drumming the seat with her fingers. She jumped slightly when her phone rang, and Jack couldn't stop an amused grin from quirking across his lips.

"Relax, Sam," he said as she answered.

"Hey, Viv." Samantha shot Jack a look of mock exasperation, before turning back to the phone.

"Just talked to Daniel Banneker. He said he's never noticed anything about Ray Matheson that would lead him to believe he's capable of kidnapping, but he also said that he doesn't know much about Ray..said he's kind of quiet. Same with the brother. However, both of them always leave at eight o'clock on Sunday nights, if that's any help."

"It's possible that both have seen Grace and Darien walking home, then," Samantha mused. "Thanks, Vivian."

"No problem. Danny and Martin are on their way to Ray's house. I'm going to finish talking to the men who were working last night, although none of them have seen anything so far."

"Okay. Talk to you soon." Samantha folded her phone before turning to Jack.

"Viv says that both of the Mathesons leave at eight on Sunday nights. She also said that Daniel Banneker didn't know much about either of them."

Jack nodded. Within a few minutes, they were driving past Nerino's Hardware and onto a road that eventually became a dead end. The uniformed team was already there waiting when Jack and Samantha exited their vehicle.

They spoke briefly before Samantha and Jack took the lead, walking to the edge of the woods.

"Here's the path," Samantha spoke, and they started down it. Their pace was brisk, purposeful, and Samantha couldn't help feeling slightly unsettled as she led the group through the darkening trees. After they had been walking for a good twenty minutes, the uneasy feeling grew.

"Tim said the cabin was about a mile in, right?" She turned slightly to Jack, who nodded grimly. Samantha frowned, then swore out loud. "Oh, damn."

A few yards ahead of them, the path ended abruptly in a line of trees. Samantha met Jack's gaze.

"Tim."

"Christ, Jack. There is no cabin. He played us." Samantha's voice was full of disgust.

"He made a mistake telling us her name," Jack agreed as he replayed the conversation in his head. "So he covered by shifting our focus to his brother."

"And gave himself a huge head start." Samantha's eyes were wide, frantic. "He's got her. He's got her, and he knows we know." She stopped for a second, her gaze shifting to the depths of the forest in front of her. She spoke again, quietly. "We're zero for two, Jack. Darien doesn't have time for us to miss again."


	6. Part 6

Careful, Chapter 6

Author's Note: Thank you x 1000 to everyone at Maple Street..your inspiration and encouragement is the reason this even exists. I can't tell you how much it means to me. Much love also to Kellen, for helping me through this chapter G, and Jordan, because she rocks.

A branch scraped her cheek, its mark an angry red line that she would notice only much later, because right now her focus was solely the path in front of her and the parking lot emerging slowly into view. Samantha was running, long strides leaving the dark woods behind as she finally made contact with concrete. Jack was only a few paces behind, as were the uniforms, adrenaline allowing them to move faster than usual. The agents slid into their vehicle and, as Jack gunned the engine, Samantha pulled out her phone. 

"Vivian, it's Samantha. Tim Matheson's the perp..he sent us after his brother to cover for himself. There's no cabin anywhere out here. We need his address. Danny and Martin, too..they're probably the closest if they're watching Ray's house."

"I'll call as soon as I find it," Vivian promised.

It was hardly a minute later when Samantha's phone rang shrilly, cutting through the tense silence in the car. Vivian didn't bother with a greeting; she merely rattled off Tim Matheson's address to Samantha, who relayed it to Jack.

"Thanks, Viv. Jack says to get yourself and an ambulance to Tim's house as soon as possible."

"Okay. See you there."

As soon as they hung up, Samantha punched Danny's number into her phone.

"Danny? It's Samantha."

"What's up?" Danny spoke quickly, alarmed by the frantic tone of Samantha's voice.

"Ray Matheson isn't our guy..it's his brother, Tim. He gave us the wrong information when he thought we were onto him. You two are probably closer to Tim's house than we are.." she repeated the address for Danny.

"Jesus, he sold out his own brother?" Danny's voice was filled with disgust. "Okay, we're on our way."

"See you there."

Jack drove aggressively, and Samantha was thankful that the neighborhood they were flying through was almost completely deserted. She was tense, poised on the edge of her seat, her right hand resting lightly on the door. The vehicle crackled with unbridled and unchanneled adrenaline, and Jack looked as taut and on-edge as she felt. She recalled their conversation with Tim Matheson, mentally berating herself for not picking up on the clues in his demeanor; nervous fidgeting, the brief look of intense worry in his eyes after he mentioned Darien's name..Samantha then wondered if the spots on his shirt originally thought to be mud had really been something else. 

She berated herself, and then pushed that train of thought to the back of her mind. It would do Darien no good to have anything less than Samantha's full attention.

The car screamed around a turn, then slammed to a halt. As it happened, Samantha and Jack had arrived at the same time as Martin and Danny, both vehicles parked in front of an unremarkable tan house, which was, at least from the outside, built exactly like the houses surrounding it. From her seat in the car, Samantha could see only a thin line of trees in the house's backyard. She and Jack left the vehicle quietly, as Martin and Danny did the same. 

"I'd wait for Vivian, but I don't think Darien has much time," Jack spoke tensely, and the others nodded. They made their way up the front walk to the door, but before anyone could speak, a door slammed, calling their attention to the back of the house. 

"Martin, Danny, go around that way," Jack quietly directed them around the left side, and motioned for Samantha to follow him to the right. He signaled an alert to the uniforms, before he and Samantha made their way cautiously around to the back of the house. 

Time seemed to race ahead and slow down all at once. Darien Blessing was on her knees, head bent forward, hands and ankles bound by coarse brown rope. Blood covered her face and hair, and Tim Matheson stood behind her, gun trained firmly on the back of her head. Darien registered their presence before Tim, lifting her head slightly. Dull brown eyes met Samantha's own, as tears began to again stream down the girl's stained cheeks. Samantha held her gaze for what felt like hours, but it was merely a few seconds before Jack raised his weapon.

"Drop the gun! FBI!" His strong voice carried across the overgrown yard, and Tim's head jerked up in surprise. A moment of indecision, then, with no expression at all, he cocked the hammer.

Gone was the nervous, fretful façade they had seen at the construction site, replaced instead by cold, calculating apathy. Samantha didn't think, didn't hesitate. The shot was clear and before Tim had a chance to move, her weapon was in her hands and she was firing, sending a bullet spinning into his shoulder like she had done so many times on the practice field, except this wasn't a sheet of target paper, it was real, and now he was falling backwards, dropping his own gun as he clutched his injured shoulder. In a flash, Danny had picked it up. Within a few seconds, the paramedics entered the back yard, led by Vivian and two of the uniforms. 

Samantha reholstered her weapon, giving Jack a shaky smile when he touched her shoulder. The paramedics had untied Darien, and were gently lifting her onto a stretcher. Jack pulled out his phone, and Samantha made her way across the yard to where the girl lay on her back, the crimson of her face and arms stark against the stretcher's pristine white cloth.

"Mrs. Blessing? This is Jack Malone of the FBI..yes, we found her. She looks pretty beat up, but she's going to be okay.." Jack's voice faded as Samantha stepped up next to Darien. She picked up the girl's bloodstained hand, surprised when she felt it close around her own.

"Thank you." Darien's voice was less than a whisper, but she looked earnestly at Samantha, the dullness gone from her large brown eyes. 

"No problem." Samantha smiled to hide the tears that were gathering in her own eyes. "Your mom will be here soon," she promised, and Darien nodded.

"I didn't even know him," Darien spoke again, and Samantha's chest tightened with sympathy for the girl in front of her. "I was just walking, and there he was, and then everything was so dark.." she trailed off as a faint smile crept onto her face. "I remember now. It was after open gym," she said decisively, looking at Samantha for confirmation. "Before, I couldn't remember anything; it was so scary." Pale, thin and shaking, she looked so much younger than her sixteen years, but her eyes held the evidence of all she had experienced and endured.

A moment later, a blur of red streaked through the yard, and Grace was hugging Darien, laughing and crying at the same time.

"God, Chicago, we were so scared.." the redhead flitted beside her friend, unable to keep still as the tears flowed freely from her green eyes.

Behind her, Mrs. Blessing ran into the yard. She was gripping Mara Jennings' hand, and Samantha idly assumed everything had been forgiven on that front. She slowed to almost a stop when her eyes landed on Darien and then, choking back a sob, raced to her daughter's side.

With a final squeeze, Samantha dropped Darien's hand, giving the girl a parting smile as she wandered over to Tim Matheson's back stoop, sitting down on the hard surface.

"I hope you don't think this is going to get you out of preseason.." Samantha heard Grace's voice and Darien's weak but mirthful laughter, and a smile crept across her face. This case had been so emotionally draining, but every moment had been worth it because the end was so precious. It was worth it, to see Mrs. Blessing hug Darien, then Mara, then Grace, then Danny, Martin, and Vivian, then Jack, then the paramedics..it was worth it, to see Grace laughing with Darien, to see the guilt disappear from Grace's eyes along with the pain from Darien's..and it was worth it, when Jack returned her tired smile with one of his own and made his way over to where she sat. Her heart had just returned to its normal pace, but picked up again as he sat next to her and, heedless of who was watching, touched her cheek gently where the branch had scraped the skin.

"Looks like that hurt," his low voice resonated through her, and she felt some of her exhaustion slip away. In response, she shrugged and grinned.

"It was worth it," she replied, and he nodded in understanding.

"It's gonna be hard," Jack's gaze had shifted to Darien, who was being loaded into an ambulance.

"She'll be okay." Samantha spoke with conviction. "There's something about her..she's a tough kid."

"I think you're right," Jack replied. A light breeze played across the yard, and Samantha could almost forget that a girl had come close to losing her life here, come close to dying at the hand of a cold, emotionless man, a man who was, at the moment, being treated by the paramedics and loaded into his own ambulance.

She could almost forget, but she never would. 

Jack's hand on her arm was her anchor, keeping her steady, holding her back from the dangerous places to where she occasionally couldn't help but drift.

Her grateful smile erased some of the concern from his eyes, and she stood, extending a hand to help him off the stoop.

"C'mon, I'm sure we have a few weeks' worth of paperwork to fill out," she spoke, as they left the backyard behind.

_Everyone was so gentle, and the soft stretcher was a far cry from the hard floor she'd been subjected to for what felt like an eternity. Through the small glass window of the ambulance, she saw her mother, Mara and Grace quickly leaving the backyard for the drive to the hospital. Beyond them, sitting on a concrete stoop, was her savior; the blonde woman had appeared out of nowhere, she remembered. Appeared out of nowhere and given her back what she'd been about to lose forever; life. A man approached the woman, touching her gently as he sat down beside her. She smiled; no one should be alone, but especially not this woman, who held such compassion and a world of depth in her eyes. She finally allowed her own eyes to close, but kept the image of love she had just seen close to her. Beautiful and pure, it would help restore her faith in a world that could be so dark and lonely._

[end]


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